Boston Takes Game One Behind Rookie Power and Veteran Poise

You could feel the October air had that extra charge — the kind that makes every pitch sound a little sharper, every swing echo just a little longer. It didn’t take long for San Francisco to announce their presence. With one out in the very first inning, Ketel Marte — cool as you like, turned on a Corbin Burnes fastball and sent it sailing into the night. Just like that, the Bays had a 1–0 lead, and the crowd was still settling into their seats.

But baseball has a way of evening things out. The Bruins came right back in the home half. Ryan Fitzgerald, showing the patience of a veteran, drew a walk, and with a head-first slide into second, he stole the base that everyone expected CJ Abrams to be taking. He’d come around moments later, thanks to a soft blooper from Michael Busch that just found the right patch of grass in right field. And just like that, we were tied.

Burnes shook off that early home run like a man brushing dust off his shoulder. In the second, he made quick work of the Bays, setting them down in order. Then, the rookie, Colton Cowser, stepped to the plate for his first career postseason at-bat. One swing, and he wrote his own introduction into Boston playoff lore — a solo shot that gave the Bruins a 2–1 edge and the dugout something to roar about.

Both teams traded zeroes in the third, and when Boston threatened again in the fourth, the door stayed shut. The Bruins left two men aboard, a theme that would become familiar before the night was done.

Michael Busch continued his strong night in the fifth with a two-out double, but Stanton couldn’t bring him home, popping up harmlessly to right.

Burnes, meanwhile, found his rhythm. The sixth inning was pure poetry, three up, three down. For San Francisco, Jameson Taillon tried to match him, but Colton Cowser wasn’t finished. Another single, his third hit of the game, set the stage for Randal Grichuk. One pitch later, the ball was on a slow climb over the left-field wall, and Boston had a 4–1 lead. Jason Foley came in to stop the bleeding, but the damage was done.

The Bays weren’t about to fade quietly. In the seventh, with two outs, Luis Urías drove a ball deep to right-center, a long triple that cut the deficit to two. Burnes exited to a standing ovation, and Calvin Faucher came on to end the inning with a strikeout that froze Kevin Newman in place.

The seventh inning got a little tense for both sides. Tanner Scott came on for San Francisco and immediately walked Jonathan India. A fielder’s choice, a stolen base, and then Busch took a fastball square in the back — tempers flared, benches stirred, but order prevailed. Busch left the game with a bruise and a short-term ticket to the trainer’s room. With the bases loaded, Emmanuel Clase entered, and showed why he’s one of the game’s best. Two batters, two outs. The jam, extinguished.

Tim Herrin handled the eighth like a man on a mission, retiring the Bays in order. Boston couldn’t pad the lead, though, leaving two more men on base in their half.

Then came the ninth, the tension thick as fog over the bay. Cade Smith took the mound for Boston. One out, and then Cody Bellinger split the gap for a double. The tying run stepped up in Ryan Jeffers, who grounded out, moving Bellinger to third. Two outs. And now, Smith against Smith, Cade on the mound, Josh at the plate. One last fastball, one last swing… strike three. The Bruins win it, 4–2.

The line score tells part of the story — San Francisco, 2 runs on 5 hits; Boston, 4 runs on 11. No errors either way, just clean, determined baseball.

Corbin Burnes takes the win. Taillon shoulders the loss. Smith gets the save. The long balls, Marte for San Francisco, Cowser and Grichuk for Boston — each had their say in how this one turned.

Boston may have stranded 11 runners, but they walk away with the edge in this best-of-series, one game to none. Tomorrow, it’s Justin Steele against Paul Skenes. CJ Abrams returns to the lineup, Jazz Chisholm likely shifting over to third, and Luis Robert set to roam center field.

It’s playoff baseball, unpredictable, electric, and beautiful — the kind of game that makes you remember why we all fell in love with it in the first place.